Some of you may not know what DACA is.

In sum, this bill allowed undocumented youth who were brought to the US a children with a channel to obtaining a legal status (though, specifically not citizenship). For many, this meant they could now work better jobs, go to school, buy a home or a care, etc.

DACA wasn’t perfect. An important drawback was that it DID NOT provide a pathway to citizenship. “On July 20, 2017, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced the Dream Act of 2017.[1] It is a bipartisan bill that would provide a direct road to U.S. citizenship for people who are either undocumented, have DACA or temporary protected status (TPS), and who graduate from U.S. high schools and attend college, enter the workforce, or enlist in a military program.” For a brief and easy-to-read overview of this bill, see this overview by the National Immigration Law Center.

Some of you may by very familiar with DACA, as you or someone you know may be affected by this policy change.

You can fax your senators in regards to DACA by texting “resist” to 50409 and follow the prompts.

A suggested message is: My name is [insert name], and I am one of your constituents. I am writing to express my discontent with the White House’s decision to end DACA and ask you to support legislative action that will protect immigrants affected by the termination of DACA. Eight hundred thousand lives are affected because of the president’s decision to end DACA, and now it is time for Congress to pass a law that would provide a pathway to citizenship for this group of immigrants. Please support the DREAM Act on behalf of your constituents.

The ‘Walking in My Shoes’ Project

Initiated in the Fall of 2016, The ‘Walking in My Shoes’ Project is a digital pedagogy/archival project that aims to document and reflect on contemporary urban issues as they take place in neighborhoods across NYC through classroom-based, student-generated projects.Learn more here.